5 Superman “Facts” That Aren’t Actually True

Superman is one of the most popular and recognizable superheroes in all of comics and even beyond, with the DC hero having transcended the page to become a pop culture icon known around the world. Because of his immense popularity and his long nearly 90-year history, everyone knows a lot about the Man of Steel. There’s a lot of great trivia about the character, from powers that many forgot he had or crazy adventures that he’s had during different comics eras.

But for all of the cool and interesting facts about Superman that there are, there are also some “facts” that are actually fiction. When you’re as iconic as the Big Blue Boy Scout — and have been adapted into so many different types of media — it makes sense that there are some things that everyone believes that just aren’t true. Here are five things about Superman that wouldn’t stand up to a fact check.

5) Clark Kent Has Always Worked at a Newspaper

Clark Kent being a mild-mannered reporter for The Daily Planet is something so deeply a part of Superman’s lore that most people believe that working for a newspaper is the only career he’s ever had. However, that’s actually not the case. Over the decades, Clark has been a toy tester (this was back in his Superboy days in the 1940s), worked at the Kent General Store in Smallville, worked as an ice cream man as a teenager, been a radio DJ, a firefighter, and even bestselling novelist.

There are also the journalism related careers Clark has had. He’s been an editor at different points, a war correspondent, and even been a television news anchor. There was also a time during the New 52 where he was a blogger. Clark might always come back to being a journalist, but his resume is pretty varied.

4) Lois Lane is His One True Love

There really aren’t any comic book couples more iconic than Lois Lane and Superman, but while the couple just belongs together, Lois isn’t necessarily the Man of Steel’s one true love. In fact, Clark has had quite a few love interests over the years, including some that are pretty significant.

Clark’s first major relationship — and one that for some fans is just as high up there as his romance with Lois, thanks to Smallville — is Lana Lang, his high school sweetheart. Superman has also shared a romance with Wonder Woman at various points in the comics, most notably during the New 52 as well as the Elseworlds story Kingdom Come.

3) He’s Krypton’s Sole Survivor

It’s probably the biggest thing in Superman’s origin story and the thing that people know the most about him: when it was clear that Krypton was doomed, Jor-El sent his infant son to Earth, making him the sole survivor after Krypton’s destruction. However, the Last Son of Krypton isn’t actually the sole survivor or the last Kryptonian. Not even close.

There are actually quite a few surviving Kryptonians. Best known is his cousin, Kara Zor-El/Supergirl who was also sent to Earth to escape Krypton’s destruction. There are also some of Krypton’s criminals who survived as well because they weren’t on Krypton at the time of its destruction, such as General Zod who was in the Phantom Zone. The best survivor of Krypton, however, is probably Superman’s dog, Krypto.

2) Superman Could Be Killed By a Kryptonite Bullet

With Kryptonite being one of Superman’s primary and best-known weaknesses, it would seem logical that a bullet made out of green Kryptonite would kill the Man of Steel. However, that isn’t the case. A Kryptonite bullet wouldn’t necessarily kill Superman — at least not immediately.

Kryptonite works by weakening Superman. Its effects are also not immediate, but they work a bit more slowly and take some time. The longer he is exposed to Kryptonite and the higher the quantities, the more vulnerable and weak Superman becomes. A Kryptonite bullet, therefore, would have to weaken Superman first before any real, fatal damage could be done.

1) Superman and Batman Don’t Like Each Other

The movies have done Superman and Batman a real disservice with this one, particularly Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, by portraying the two heroes as being at odds with one another. Because of this, there are many who think that despite being heroes and part of the Justice League together, the two either only tolerate one another or are outright antagonistic, but that is far from the case.

In comics, it’s been well established that Batman and Superman aren’t just heroic colleagues who work well together, but they’re actually close friends. That isn’t to say that the two don’t have their differences; all friendships have their rough moments, but Batman and Superman have each other’s backs — and it’s always fun to see them team up.

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